It doesn’t take much to scrape your knee on your first bike ride, a hot pot can burn us, insects and bees can sting, we can cut ourselves with a knife, or we might have ingrown toenails or inflamed skin: we quickly apply a few drops of lavender oil directly to the affected areas, whether on ourselves or our pets.

Once you’ve experienced for yourself that lavender oil doesn’t sting, that it relieves pain and promotes rapid healing of burns and scrapes, and that it prevents swelling from bee stings (it’s said to work for snake bites as well, though we don’t have any personal experience with that—for a change), and that an inflamed toe with an ingrown nail becomes pain-free overnight, you’ll take it with you on every trip and use it time and again.

Differences in quality

Lavender Barrême, in southern France, is our favorite. This French town in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, surrounded by mountains reaching heights of up to 1,600 meters, lends its name to a product of exceptional quality.

While here we refer to anything that blooms blue and looks somewhat like lavender as simply “lavender,” the French distinguish between the hybrid lavandin—a mass-produced plant with branched flower spikes, growing up to 150 cm tall, and cultivated in the valleys—and true lavender, which is smaller, growing up to 70 cm tall with a single flower spike, and typically found at higher elevations. In essential oil, the ester content—particularly linalyl acetate—determines the quality. While lavandin contains about 30% and regular lavender oil about 40% esters as main constituents, we find up to 52% in Barrême lavender.

The taller the lavender  grows, the higher the concentration of linalyl acetate, which is responsible for both its characteristic scent and its positive effect on the mind. Linalool, its complementary partner, is responsible for its antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. In addition, nearly 200 other compounds contribute to its unique effects.

Lavender oil is one of the most scientifically studied essential oils. The following overview can only provide a brief glimpse into its many effects.

When inhaled, the effect is mediated by the limbic system, particularly the amygdala and hippocampus. When applied topically, linalool and linalyl acetate are rapidly absorbed through the skin, with peak absorption occurring after approximately 19 minutes. (Jäger et al., 1992).

Lavender and Science

Anxiety-relieving effect

Anxiety is one of the emerging psychiatric disorders of recent decades. It is estimated that anxiety disorders affect up to 15% of the global population (Baxter et al., 2013). Women are affected twice as often as men. (Bandelow and Michaelis, 2015)

Donelli et al. (2019) provide an overview of 90 studies examining the effects of lavender  on anxiety. The vast majority of these studies found that lavender oil has a significant anxiolytic effect. They conclude that inhaling lavender oil is effective, safe, and cost-effective.

Stress-reducing effect

Diego et al. (1998) demonstrated that a 3-minute exposure to lavender oil led to significantly greater calmness, reduced anxiety, improved mood, and an increase in alpha waves (which are recorded during light relaxation or relaxed wakefulness) on the ECG. Höferl et al. (2018) conclude in a study that essential oils (lavender  and sandalwood  were examined) can alleviate physiological reactions to psychological stress disorders and promote better recovery after exposure to stress. A study on acupuncture, anxiety, and pain (Kim et al. (2011)) found that exposure to lavender oil significantly reduced stress symptoms and pain intensity.

Improved computational performance

Diego et al. (1998) also found that lavender oil led to faster and more accurate arithmetic performance. This was confirmed in a subsequent study (Degel and Koster, 1999). In that study, participants performed a variety of tests in rooms that were lightly scented. The scents were not consciously perceived. In the room scented with lavender, performance was significantly higher than in a room scented with jasmine oil or in an unscented room.

Reduction of insomnia

In a study conducted in a hospital, Graham (1995) found that lavender oil both reduced sleep disturbances and improved overall well-being. Another study (Chien et al. (2012)) involving 60 women, aged 45 to 55, who suffered from sleep disturbances found that exposure to 0.25 ml of lavender oil for 20 minutes resulted in a significant improvement in sleep quality.

Anti-inflammatory effect

In a study, Cardia et al. (2018) investigated the effects of lavender oil. They found that it has anti-edema and anti-inflammatory effects.

Pain-relieving effect

Brownfield (1998) demonstrated that massage with lavender oil reduces pain perception and improves sleep quality and well-being in people suffering from the effects of chronic rheumatoid arthritis.

Improvement in patients with dementia

An Australian study (Kilstoff and Chenoweth, 1998) conducted in a nursing home for dementia patients found that a 10- to 15-minute hand massage using three essential oils, including lavender oil, led to a significant improvement in well-being, increased alertness, reduced aggression and anxiety, and improved sleep.

Menstrual cramps

A study (Apay et al., 2009) involving 438 participants used lavender oil for massage in the treatment group and a placebo in the control group. Based on a standardized questionnaire, the study found that in the placebo group, menstrual pain decreased from 82% to 74%, while in the “lavender” group, there was a reduction from 82% to 51%.

Antibacterial and antifungal effects

The antibacterial effects of lavender oil have been demonstrated in numerous studies (Lis-Balchin et al., 1998; Hammer et al., 1999). Of particular interest are studies focusing on antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Even at a concentration of less than 1%, the oil was effective against MRSA and VRE (Nelson 1997).

Both the oil and the steam were effective against many fungi (Inouye et al. 2000). Lavender oil was more effective than tea tree oil, but less effective than lemongrass, cinnamon bark, and thyme. The concentrations of the oils were well below 1%.

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